The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-10
THE RUIN STILL GOES ON.
THE FLOOD CONTINUES TO DEVAS-
TATE THE RICE FIELDS.

Totally Submerged The Planters
Making Desperate Efforts to Save
What Little is Left-The Estimate of
Loss Increased.
The threatened destruction of the rice
frop iwas the talk of the city yesterday.
There is no one other industry here that
could affect so vitality the interests of the
sity residents. In the good old antebellum
times there was no such close opposition
aud sharp rivalry as now, and the prices
regulated themselves according to a full or
half crop Now all this is changed
Between Louisiana on one side and
India on the other the planters have
nard rub Before ii only half crop was
secured the prices advanced so the planters
realized nearly as much as if the entire crop
mad been gathered. Now, with the prices
down, the planters have to work unceas-
ngly, and if floods or other causes produce
short crop the market is not af
fected by the shortage at all.
Therefore they feel doubly blue
over the threatened loss of their
entire years work. About three-fourths of
the rice is now in the blooming stage;
small portion is maturing, and still another
part, the June rice, as il is called, is from
ten to fifteen inches Nigh
THE PLANTERS AT SEA.
The effect of the food Oh the crop is not
known, but the planters are at sea
regarding it. No one has had any
experience with an August freshet
before, and its effects can only be
guessed at. Col. John Screven, in his forty
years experience us II rice planter, never
had occasion before to fear food at this
season He can offer no reliable estimate
Of the damage, but his opinion is that 1t will
be great lie thinks the head will mould,
producing 'blastn His plantation below
the river is not submerged yet, and
no danger is apprebended from the
river side. Ii the water continues to
rise. as the dispatches from Augusta would
Indicate, all the fields below the city will be
flooded. The water has entered the swamps
and is coming down in full and undated
force
DESTROYING THE BANKS.
Reports from the scene of the floods still
show an increase in the fall. One feature
was noted yesterday, and that was the
new and disastrous breaks in the banks
The Varnexbre creek embankment is III bad
shape. Beside the large amount of earth
washed from 1t, the break is enlarging, be-
ing now $50 feet long and very deep. In the
Beach Hill plantation banks there are five
bad breaks, two at the Garrett place and
II
the tremendous current is making breaks in
many Others The food gates are also
broken and washed away, and other
damage done Yesterday at IL
o'clock Mr.. Huger's Woodland place
Dn the Carolina shore was covered. At
o'clock the Fife place was partially covered,
and at the Murray Hill plantation, just
opposite the Bacon mills, was being sub
merged The water was swiftly speeding
Down in an irresistible volume, and it is
predicted that all the lower plantations will
be flooded to day or tomorrow.
SAVING THE PIECES
The planters are all busy on their places
irving to make everything secure, food gates
are tied, bridges pinned or weighted down,
blanks secured, &c The barns generally
are all on mounds, or are built ON brick or
wooden pillars and they will hardly be en-
aangered Few boats are in Use yet, but
the increasing floods will necessitate their
use to-day. All over the upper fields
the water is from five to six feet
deep and the current strong.
From the barns or mounds the sight
is disheartening one. On every hand is
seen nothing but dreary waste of mud
solored, seething, rushing water. Here and
there lonely tree stands up out OF the waste
Of waters, and small portions of the highest
entertainments yetremain in some parts
THE ISLANDS SUBMERGED.
Argyle Island is all covered, the Gibbons
place being the last one to disappear.
The water is pouring over the banks Of the
ISLAND and doubtless much damage will
nsue i'll that respect alone The upper por-
ton of Hutchinson island is not touched yet
and possibly will not be submerged, as the
Back river is SO wide that an ample outlet
is left for the crowding waters Onslow and
lila islands are both under water, the river
At that point resembling huge lake.
There is one popularity of the food that
IS noticeable When the tide is on the ebb
the water rushing out of the gullies
prevents the flood progressing much. On
1he flood tide, though the current in the
river Is unchanged, the tide backs up the
water and then the freshet spreads out
HIGHER AT oGEECHEE.
1t is said that the damage will be great,
depending, however, on the amount of rice
IN bloom. The water will kill this and pre-
vent its heading. That now heading will
probably be all right if the water does not
remain on it too long. 1t is thought the loss
viii be fully 20 to 30 per cent.
Reports from the Ogeechee indicate still
higher water yesterday than the day before.
The planters there have no idea how
nigh the river will go and are very
apprehensve. The current is so strong
over the rice fields that little drift wood or
debris is left thereon.
INTERESTED SPECTATORS.
The elevated points of vantage were in
demand yesterday, as hundreds visited the
City Exchangesto view the scene from the
sower. The view obtained was well worth
the tiresome trip up the long ascent.
Supervisor Gross, of the Charleston and
Savannah railway, telegraphed at o'clock
yesterday from the Savannah river bridge
water is now four and half inches
higher than it was at 8 O'Clock this morning
and still rising at the rate of one inch per
uour. The water lacks twenty inches of
being to the top of the piers; it is now three
inches over the top of the pivot pier and six
inches over tho floor of the watchnan's
Shanty.n
The signal service reported the height of
the river at Augusta at 10 o'clock last night
30 bc 33.2 feet, being rise of . feet since =
IN the afternoon, eight hours previous. The
water is reported TO be still rising and the
probabilities are that the food viii be
greater than either of the two previous
Ones With such volume of water coming
down on al already overlowed river the
ruin it will cause can hardly be estimated.
He Wants to Hear from Her.
Col. John II. Kctchum then command
ing the One Hundred and Fiftieth regiment
Of Now York volunteers was severely
wounded on Argyle Island, on Dec. 81, 1864,